


Tomatoes and Bees

by LoveGeek15



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Both are awkward, Chloe is Queen Bee, Chloe is actually nice, F/M, Mild Language, Not, Sassy Chloe, They're teens, chlonath, compliments galore, even sassier nathaniel, nathaniel knows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 15:06:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17062046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveGeek15/pseuds/LoveGeek15
Summary: This is a Birthday Gift for the amazing and wonderful @findmeinthevoid!I hope you had an amazing day <3





	Tomatoes and Bees

**Author's Note:**

  * For [findmeinthevoid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/findmeinthevoid/gifts).



_Dress differently, try something new, my ass._

The blonde throws some dresses and skirts on the floor.

_What’s the point of going?_

Currently, Chloe is in her closet, looking for an outfit to wear. She finds a light yellow dress with three simple black stripes on the bottom on the skirt. She hangs it on a drawer handle and continues to throw even more dresses on the floor.

_Nobody’s going to be there anyway._

She gives up on looking for another dress and debates on wearing her black flats or yellow wedges. It’s a formal event, so she picks the wedges. She brings the dress to her bathroom to change.

_Since when did Daddy start to like art? It’s stupid._

She slides on the dress. It reaches below her knee. Rolling her eyes, she begins putting on her makeup.

_They’re probably not even that good, even **if** their stuff hangs on a wall._

She spreads blood red lipstick on her lips and does a simple wing for her eyeliner. She walks out of the bathroom.

She pauses and walks back. Seeing her reflection, she ultimately decides to keep her hair down. She pulls down her hair-tie.

Her hair falls around her neck. She’s always hated her hair down, it’s always in the way. Sighing, she smoothes down the hair-bump and applies a bit of hairspray.

It’s kinda late, but she doesn’t care. She struts out of her room.

***

When she arrives at the art museum, she shoos away Jean-Claude and entered the building.

A lot of people came for just some art. There are a few people she recognizes from her father’s meetings and other similar events but doesn’t really want to talk to them. She’s only there to make her father happy.

She walks around guests, trying to find the concessions table.

She runs into someone, shouts “Hey, watch it!” and continues on her way.

A few guests stop and talk to her (to her dismay) and she can’t find the table anyway.

_Who doesn’t bring food to an event like this?!_

A server walks by with drinks. Chloe snatches a drink from the tray. She sips some of the champagne. Her father wouldn’t mind or care as long as she didn’t drink that much, not like she drinks a lot anyway.

She examines the room when something catches her eye.

They stand out like a sore thumb.

Literally.

Red hair? Well obviously it was that artsy kid from her class. What was his name again? He’s laughing with two other men. But something is different.

The redhead is sporting a black, leather jacket, black dress pants and a red undershirt with a black design on it. She can’t tell what it is and shrugs it off. His hair is swept off to the side a bit more, revealing both his eyes, unlike during school, where it would cover half his face.

_Why is **he** here?_

She finishes her drink and hands it to some stranger. She searches for the mayor.

***

_What are the chances?!_

Nathaniel bounces excitedly as he looks through his closet for something appropriate for the event. His event.

The Mayor of Paris held a competition for artists to inspire them to be more. . .”out there”. He declared that the winner would get their art displayed at the Modern Art Museum. And somehow, out of the many thousand (he assumed) entries, his won! He sketched, lined, and painted all five of Paris’s heroes with their powers. It took a long time to finish, but it was definitely worth it.

He runs out of his house, “I’m going to the museum!”

His mother shouts, “Be back by 10!”

“Got it!” He slams the door.

The Modern Art Museum isn’t that far away, so he decides to walk it. He has time anyways. It’s kinda cold; it’s a surprise that the leaves on the trees aren’t all on the ground. It’s still better to have a breath of fresh air before being stuck in a crowded room for most of the evening anyway.

It’s kind of late in the evening, the sun’s about to go down when he arrives. The Mayor greets him and shakes his hand. They walk around the museum, the mayor introducing fellow artists and business partners.

As the sun goes down, loads more guests arrive. He’s walking along when he spots a particular blonde on the opposite side of the room. She’s just standing there, looking around the room, then she starts to walk.

“Excuse me, I need to speak with someone for a moment.” He backs away from the conversation he was having with the mayor and his colleagues.

He slips by other people and tries to guess the direction of where Chloe went.

He is in a hurry and accidentally bumps into someone. Passing by them, he says, “Sorry.” and looks ahead.

They reply, “Hey! Watch it!” and zoom past.

It sounds exactly like her; how could _anyone_ ever sound like that?

He sails past other guests to the direction of who he bumped into (who he assumes was Chloe) until he realizes he lost her.

_Why do I even care? It’s not like she would anyway._

He rolls his eyes and finds some other younger artists to talk with.

_I guess it’s because she’s the only person I actually know._

***

It’s not until later when he finds Chloe again. He’s speaking to an interested colleague of a colleague of the Mayor when she catches his eye.

She’s carrying a small handbag with a chain looping around her shoulders. He could barely see in the dim lights, but from what he could tell, she’s wearing a yellow dress that sparkles with some black stripes circling around the skirt. And her hair is down. Not in her signature ponytail like during school.

_It kinda suits her._

He dismisses the thought quickly.

***

She (mostly) avoids the guests and finds her father waiting near the side of the winner’s piece. It’s covered by a white cloth and in the center of its own separate wall. Second, Third, and Fourth place are back to back, creating a sort of island in the center of the new art room.

The Mayor calls, “Chloe! I need to talk to you for a moment. I have a task for you to do.” He leads them to the side, where no one can hear them.

“You’re going to shake and congratulate the first place winner and walk around with him for the night.”

“What?! But dad-”

“Chloe, it’s for the press! And it’s only for tonight.”

“But who is-”

“Make sure to follow what they say and listen to them. For Daddy, okay?” He walks to a stand with microphones on it and picks one up.

“But-!”

The mayor speaks into the microphone, “The revealing will be in five minutes! Come gather around!”

Chloe sighs and follows the mayor.

She stands beside him and the covered piece. “Give your best smile, darling.” He puts a hand on her shoulder. “It’s for the best.”

She forces a smile at the cameras and video-recorders.

I really hope nobody watches this.

Slightly waving at the audience with her father, the lights dim as a large spotlight shines on them and the artwork.

His voice blasts throughout the room. “Welcome to this year's Modern Art Competition! A committee and I have chosen a winner from many artists that have entered their art to be seen here, at the Modern Art Museum at Paris!”

A wave of applause and camera shutters blind Chloe as she turns slightly to her father.

“The first place winner gets a special revealing of their art and 5,000 euro prize, second place gets their art featured in the museum and a 2,500 euro prize, third place gets their art featured and a weeks stay at the Grand Paris Hotel, and fourth place winner gets their art featured and 500 euro prize.”

More applause. The mayor walks up to the art piece as Chloe trails behind.

“And now, without further ado, please welcome our first place winner of this year's Modern Art Competition, Nathaniel Kurtzberg!”

Cameras flash on the other side of the piece as Nathaniel walks into view. With better lighting, she sees a familiar symbol on his shirt, Queen Bee’s sign. He waves at the cameras with a bright smile.

He’s handed a microphone. He nods his thanks and speaks into it, “Thank you, Mayor Bourgeois. It’s an honor to be here.”

“No, please, thank you for creating this amazing and spectacular piece of art!”

He beams. “Of course!”

“Now for the piece.” Two men on opposite sides take a corner of the sheet, lift and drop the cloth onto to the ground to reveal his art.

It’s a long landscape canvas displaying each hero and their unique ability. Ladybug in the center, Chat Noir next to her on the right, Rena Rouge to the left of her, Carapace beside Rena, and Queen Bee next to Chat Noir on the far left. Each portion of the painting has a representation of their powers and is colored based on their suits.

A loud applause and camera snaps fill the room as Chloe walks over to Nathaniel with a somewhat large check.

She holds her hand out and smiles.

He looks at it and back to Chloe with an eyebrow raised.

She whispers through gritted teeth, “Just go with it.”

He shakes her hand when someone says, “Smile for the camera!”

Chloe and Nathaniel look towards the direction of the shout and smile, hands still from shaking and the check below it.

The man motions with his hand and shouts, “Closer!”

They both (reluctantly) take two steps towards each other and smile (forcefully). The mayor shoos the cameras away and takes the microphone from Nathaniel.

He pulls Chloe to the side, “Remember, listen and do whatever he says, got it?”

She nods sadly. He sighs, “Chloe, dear, it’s only for tonight. You can handle that, can you?”

She nods. He straightens up. “Introduce him to others at the party. I’ll see you after most guests leave.” He walks away.

Grumbling, she searches for the redhead. She finds him talking to a couple. When she gets to him, the couple is laughing at his joke, or whatever.

“Ah, Miss Bourgeois! I didn’t think you were going to show until I saw you stand beside your father.”

She shakes her hands in front of her. “Oh, no, I came to congratulate my friend on his accomplishment.”

“Don’t you go to the same school?” The man asks.

Nathaniel answers, “Yes, we do. We have…,” he looked at her, “four classes? Together?”

She looks up at him. “I think so.”

“Oh, so you know each other pretty well, wouldn’t you say?”

“Um,” Chloe shrugs, “Sorta?”

The couple smiles knowingly at each other. Another couple waves at the couple they’re talking to. “We must go now. Congratulations, Nathaniel.”

Shaking their hands, Nathaniel says, “Thank you!” and the couple walks away.

Nathaniel leads Chloe to the side and whispers, “What are you doing?”

She crosses her arms. “Uh, showing you around? Introducing you to people? What else does it look like I’m doing!”

He squints, “You’re up to something.”

“No, I am not! I am _genuinely_ trying to be a good person by, you know, being nice or whatever!”

He leans forward, eyes still squinted. She backs up a bit.

He scoffs, “Fine,” and walks back into the room. She follows next to him.

Two men stop in front of them. “Ah, greetings Nathaniel and Miss Bourgeois. How-”

“Please,” Chloe interrupts, “Chloe is just fine.”

“Mmm. I see. Well, congratulations on winning, Nathaniel.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Have you known Miss, er, _Chloe_ for a while?”

Chloe laughs, “Someone just asked us that a little bit ago. Yes, we do know each other. We go to the same school.”

“No wonder you’re so talented!” The other man teases.

The blonde laughs. “Oh please, even _if_ he didn’t go to my school he’d _still_ win any art competition.”

“Is that so?”

“I mean, have you seen his art? It’s spectacular.”

The two men laugh. “Thanks for speaking with us. I bet you two have places to go. Congratulations, again.” One of the men shakes Nathaniel’s hand.

“Oh, uh, thank you, sir.” They continue to walk, Chloe in front, but still next to him.

They walk for a while before Nathaniel speaks up. “Do you mean that?”

Chloe slows so she’s directly next to him, “Mean what?”

“What you told those guys?”

“Well, yeah, obviously.”

The red-head turns away and smiles.

“Are you having a good time?”

The artist looks back to the blonde. “Yeah, actually. It’s been like a dream being here.”

A woman puts a hand on Nathaniel’s shoulder, stopping him and, in some way, Chloe.

They turn as the woman shakes his hand.

“Oh, it is such an honor to meet the winner of the competition! I’m Kristen Delores, I’m a journalist for Art Daily. If you wouldn’t mind, could you answer some questions for us?” She reaches into her coat jacket.

“Uh,” he turns to Chloe, who just shrugs in return. “Sure?”

“Great. Your art is so amazing, Nathaniel-”

“Thank you.”

“-No problem and we were wondering why you chose to do this particular piece and how you painted each hero.”

“Oh, uh, I just kind of wanted to contribute to what our heroes have done for us in the past few years. They’ve saved everyone here at least once and are always on alert, 24/7 and I’m so grateful for that.

“And uh, the reasoning behind each hero? I just wanted to express their “power”, ya know like how Ladybug is Creation, Chat Noir is Destruction, Rena Rouge is Illusion, Carapace is Protection, and Queen Bee is Subjection.”

The journalist nods as she writes notes quickly on her pad of paper.

He continues, “Even though each is equal in their own rights, Ladybug still acts as leader, which is why I made her the middle. And Chat Noir is her “second in command” or her “right-hand man” so I put him on her right.”

She pauses. “Of course.”

“Rena was third to appear, so I put her to the left of Ladybug.” The journalist nods. “I noticed from the Ladyblog that Rena and Carapace seem to have some sort of love-hate relationship and thought it would make sense or kind of be funny, to me at least, for them to be next to each other. Then Queen Bee at the right of Chat Noir because I wanted to keep it even.”

It makes sense, but it still stings for a small excuse. Chloe deflated just enough that they both don’t notice.

The journalist draws a line on her paper. “They’re all in action poses and have different backgrounds. How did you decide on each of them?”

“I based their pose and background off of their special move. Uh, I noticed Ladybug and, obviously, Carapace seem more like defense kind of heroes, so I put them in defensive poses. Rena and Chat are more offensive players, so I painted them in more of an attacking pose.”

“And what about Queen Bee?”

“Um, Queen Bee’s a special case because she can be used as both defense because of her yo-yo but she could also go offense with her special power, Venom.”

“Mhmm, and the backgrounds?”

“Like I said, it’s based on their special power or symbol, kind of. I put plants and new life in Ladybug’s, broken mirrors and buildings in Chat Noir’s, shields and walls for Carapace, a sort of wavy design on real-life objects to make them look like an illusion, and, ironically, a form of monarchy.”

“What’s interesting to me is that Queen Bee’s portion seems more detailed than the others. Did you have any intention for that?”

Chloe stares expectantly at Nathaniel, hoping his response won’t be as blunt as before.

Nathaniel scratches the back of his neck. “Uh… I-uh just thought, wait no. Um, when I was planning out Queen Bee’s portion, it was just sort of, difficult of me to, uh, understand or interpret the power of subjection. Actually, when I searched the actual power for Queen Bee, I had to search up the meaning _of_ subjection.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“So you did a lot of research for this, didn’t you?”

“Of course. I didn’t want to offend or portray the heroes incorrectly.”

“Well, thanks so much for your time, Nathaniel and Chloe. It’s been a pleasure.” She extends her hand to both.

He shakes it back, “The pleasure is all mine, Miss Delores.” Chloe shakes her hand as well. They turn around.

Chloe scoffs. “Wow. You _actually_ did research on a painting?”

“Yeah, I did. And I’m glad I did, it was definitely worth it. Don’t you think?”

Chloe crosses her arms. They reach the refreshments table.

“They have a food table!?”

He raised his eyebrow. “They always do. You didn’t know?”

She glares up at him. “I couldn’t _find_ it.”

Slightly grinning, he shrugs, “Well, then you didn’t try hard enough.”

“Whatever.” They pick a few quick snacks and a drink and walk back to the main room.

“So,” she starts, “What’s with the Queen Bee logo?”

“Huh? Oh, uh.” He stalls for time by drinking his water. “I, uh, just happen to own a Queen Bee shirt. Do you have a problem with that?”

She turns away and continues to walk, grinning, “I do not. None, whatsoever.”

They talk for a few quiet moments about school and funny moments of the heroes.

A guest sees them laughing and snaps a few pics before posting it online and talking about them to other partygoers.

An old couple, after hearing the rumor, approaches them. The redhead sees them coming and greets both.

“Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Revere. It’s good to see you again.”

The woman laughs, “Oh, please, we only met each other a few hours ago!”

They both laugh.

Mr. Revere loudly whispers, “Nathaniel, you didn’t tell us you were in cahoots with Miss Bourgois.”

The mentioned shout a collective “ _WHAT_?!”

Everyone turns to them. They whisper sorry’s.

Chloe whispers back to them, “Where did you hear that from?”

“Oh, so it’s true?”

“No, it’s not true!” Nathaniel nods to her statement.

“Aw. What a shame. You two would’ve been such a cute couple. Well, gotta tell the others. Come on, Jerry.” The two walk away, snickering.

The ginger turns to hide his smile and blush. They continue to walk around the museum, him showing and explaining each piece to Chloe. Assuming from her confused expression, she’s either, well, confused, or not listening and only looking at each piece. He hopes he isn’t wasting his breath.

Chloe listens to him intently (to her utter surprise) and learns stuff (again, to her surprise) from each of his explanations (surprise!).

When they walk back into the event, the room is mostly cleared out besides a few guests and the Mayor shaking hands with someone.

Chloe starts striding to him when Nathaniel grabs her wrist. “Um, if you want to, you can walk me to my house, if you’d like to, I guess.”

She turns to him then her father. “Um, hmm.” She turns back to him, “Sure, let me go ask my father first.”

He lets go. “Uh sure. I’ll see you outside.”

“Yeah.” He walks towards the exit as her father says goodbye to probably another colleague.

He smiles when she’s in his sight. “Darling! Are you ready to go back to the hotel?”

“Um, actually, I was going to walk the winner back to his house.”

“Oh. Do you need a car ride?”

“Um, that’s not really necessary.” They walk out of the museum in front of their transport. “I’ll just call someone to pick me up at that location.”

“Um, okay. Stay safe, dear.” He gets inside the car and drives away.

Nathaniel is leaning on the side of the building. “I actually thought you were going to leave.”

“Ugh, whatever, let’s just go.” She starts walking to the left.

“Wrong way.” She spins around and struts along. Nathaniel shakes his head a walks beside her.

Lampposts illuminate the sidewalk orange like the leaves on the trees. A slight wind keeps the leaves on their toes, swishing them away and onto the ground. They crunch under their feet.

Chloe shivers from a strong gust of wind. “Ugh, my hair!”

He deadpans, “Is that _really_ what you’re complaining about?”

“I put hair-spray for a reason, tomato-head.”

He rolls his eyes.

She watches more leaves in a variety of colors fall from their trees onto the ground. Nathaniel walks to her left, and it’s only now that she notices how tall he grew.

Not that he grew that much anyway. She’s wearing her wedges and he still towers over her. Maybe by an inch. His hair sways with the wind.

As they continue to walk, the wind gets slightly stronger. Nathaniel notices Chloe breathing in and out slowly and rubbing her arms with her hands.

He removes his leather jacket. She stares at him, “What are you doing? It’s _freezing_.”

“Exactly.” He positions the black jacket on her shoulders. “It’ll keep you nice and toasty.” He shoves his hands in his jean pockets.

Chloe, shocked, continues to stroll beside Nathaniel. She pulls the jacket closer, looking away and blushing.

She tries to calm the heat in her cheeks. “Aren’t you gonna be cold?”

He shrugs. “Nah, I’ll be fine. I kinda like this weather.”

They lightly chat about their day and some other subjects they didn’t get to finish during the party. And during that time, minutes ended up feeling like seconds; they were already at his front door.

He takes out his key. “Thanks for walking with me, Chloe.”

She takes off the jacket, “And, uh, thanks for giving me your jacket.” She offers it back to him.

He laughs. “Keep it. You can give it back to me on Monday.” He unlocks his door. “You should probably call that driver to pick you up.”

Chloe put the jacket back on --with the sleeves-- and takes out her phone to call her driver.

Nathaniel waits in front of his door.

Glowering, she says, “Why are you waiting for me? Just go inside. I’ll be fine.” She turns to the streets and starts talking into the phone.

Shaking his head, he sighs and closes the door behind him. He looks through the peephole and sees a black limousine pull up in front of her. She enters in the back and the driver pulls away.

He trudges to his room, changing quickly into pj’s, and flops onto his bed. He didn’t even bother to turn on the lights; the light from the moon was enough.

He sighs happily, replaying the night through his mind. He couldn’t stop grinning. He was about to close his eyes when he realizes.

Eyes wide, he shoots up. “I had a good time with _Chloe_.” He pulls on his hair. “I gave my new leather jacket to **_Chloe_**.” He shakes his head. “I was practically on a date. With **_CHLOE_**.”

***

When she arrives back in the hotel and into her room, she immediately walks straight into the bathroom. But when she sees herself in the mirror, it didn’t look like her at all.

I mean, she still knew it was her, she just didn’t look. . . _like herself_.

Her hair somehow curled slightly from either the shower (she doubts it) or from the wind when she walked with Nathaniel. Speaking of Nathaniel, his black leather jacket really matches with her dress, which was also slightly fuzzled. Her makeup still intact isn’t feeling so great either; it feels heavy on her face. And she didn’t even use that much!

Shuffling through Nathaniel’s pockets, she finds a bent piece of paper and cardstock. Taking them out, she immediately recognizes the thin paper as his check of 5,000 Euros. The other piece of paper was some kind of business card or an art studio. It’s black with art splatters here and there of different colors with the name of the company and their phone number. She shoves them back into his pockets.

She places her phone down next to the sink, takes off Nathaniel’s jacket, hangs it to the side, and wipes off her makeup. Carrying her phone, she changes out of her dress into her nightgown and turns off the bathroom lights. She plops onto her bed.

Already bored with her phone, she turns off her bedside lights and stares at the ceiling.

 _Tonight was fun_ , she thought.

She glances at the door to her bathroom. The leather jacket pokes through the door a little. She smiles at the memory.

Then she frowned. _Why did he even give it to me?_

Pollen floats onto her small pillow and yawns. “Sleep, your majesty. You have a busy day tomorrow.”

“No, I don’t.”

Pollen opens one of her eyes. “What if there’s an akuma tomorrow?”

“Ha, I doubt it. Hawk Moth already sent out an akuma yesterday.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s not going to send out another one. Like what Nathaniel said, you five always on alert, 24/7, right, your majesty?”

She sighs. “I guess.” She puts on her eye-cover. “Good night, Pollen.”

“Good night, my queen.”

***

Nathaniel woke up groggily as his alarm clock announced a new day. He slammed the snooze button and escaped back to sleep. Just for it to blare five minutes later.

Yawning, he turned off his alarm clock and trudged to the kitchen. His parents weren’t up, so he was going to have to make his own breakfast, which was fine by him; they had work later.

His weekend alarm was almost an hour and a half later than during the week, so when he heard a doorbell at what he thought was 7:30, he thought he was going crazy. No one would ever just be doorbelling at this hour.

He turned off the stove and placed the bowl of the gooey scrambled eggs and walked to the front door.

He did not expect _that_ when he opened the door.

***

Pollen called out to Chloe who stretched the sleep away from the previous night.

_It’s the weekend. What more do you want!?_

She swung her legs off her bed and dragged herself to the bathroom. She splashed some cold water onto her face and shook out the remaining sleepiness. She changed from her nightgown to a more comfortable outfit than her usual-- it was the weekend, after all.

As she walked out of the bathroom to her closet, she saw a familiar black jacket. She looked out the window.

It’s kind of windy outside. She stared at the jacket. _It wouldn’t kill anyone if I wore it for one day, right?_

She was already dressed for the weather, white leggings and a striped black and white sweater. She tapped on her arm.

She shrugged and put it on. Pollen hid in the yellow side purse she normally brings (besides yesterday). Texting her father she was going to go a bit of shopping, Chloe ran into her butler.

“Mademoiselle-- uh, where are you going?”

“I’m going shopping, Jean-Pascal.”

“Is Mademoiselle going to bring her friend, Sabrina?”

“No. She won’t.” She walked passed him. Raising his eyebrow, he followed her into the elevator.

“Will Mademoiselle have breakfast first?”

“No, Jean-Luke, I have somewhere to go before I go shopping.” She trotted out of the elevator, calling the driver on her phone.

He followed her outside the hotel. “When will Mademoiselle be back?”

“I’ll be back,” she tapped on her chin, “in four hours. Or five. Don’t worry, I’ll text the chauffeur when I come back.”

“Hmm.” He opened the car door for her as she typed one more response to her father. Soon, she was off.

“Where to today, Miss Bourgeois?”

“That house you picked me up on yesterday. But not too close. I’ll walk from there.”

The chauffeur raised an eyebrow but changed his route course to his passenger's command. When they arrived, he drove a bit further than the house and parked. He waited for more orders from the mayor’s daughter.

“You can go home now.” She opened the door and looked left and right. “Where’s the house?”

“To the right, Miss.”

She turned around. “Oh.” She slammed the door and started walking. When she didn’t hear the car start, she stomped back and shouted, “YOU CAN GO HOME NOW.”

Quickly, the car started and zoomed off the opposite direction. Rolling her eyes, she starts walking to a certain redheads house.

She walked up the steps and knocked on the door. She shifted side to side.

_It is kinda early, isn’t it?_

The sun had barely come up and the stars still poked their heads out in the orange sky. It wasn’t as windy as last night though, just a bit chilly. Chilly enough to see your breath.

_This was a bad idea._

She backed up a bit on the top stairs and inspected the small building. It was a disgusting beige color with a few windows in rows. Some windows had a little pot garden in front with what she thought were weeds. Pollen poked her head out. Chloe stared into her deep-set, blue eyes.

Disappointed with her trip, she sighed and opened her message app to text back her driver when the door swung open.

She shot straight up and locked eyes with her classmate.

With an incredulous look, he rubbed his eyes. “Chloe?”

She blinked. Standing there in a red shirt and yellow sweats, Nathaniel waited for the blonde's response.

She slowly lifted her finger then pointed, “Are those Queen Bee sweatpants?”

“Uh,” He looked down and from what little light the lampposts and interior lights provided, she saw his face flush. “No?” He shrugged.

She frowned and scrutinized his face for any tell that he’s lying when he says, “Um, what are you doing here?”

She froze and straightened back up. Even then, she still couldn’t reach the artist’s height.

“Uh. I-I was uh--” she coughed “going to give you back your, um, jacket.”

 _Why is this so hard?_ She began to sweat.

“You still had your check in it—and this card thingy,” she removed the pieces of paper from her pocket. “You didn’t take them, so I came to return them back to you.” She smiled awkwardly as she shoved the said items into his chest.

 _Why do I sound like Marinette?_ She mentally slapped herself.

When he took the items, she threw her hands behind her back and waited for him to say something. He was just staring at his stuff.

Say something. Nathaniel or herself, she hoped the former would before things get even more awkward.

He slowly peeked up at her and stepped aside. “Come in. It’s cold.”

She cautiously entered through the door.

***

When she entered, he was greeted with a rare sight-- a warm smile from the usually cold person.

“Thank you.” She said, shaking off the cold as she looked at his living space.

He scratched his neck, “Sorry. It’s a bit messy.”

“It’s…” she grimaced at the somewhat dusty appliances, “fine.”

Rolling his eyes, he walked back to his kitchen stool. “Want something to eat?”

She turned to him and stared at a cabinet. She sighed, “Sure.”

His eyes widened as he picked up his spoon.

“Re-really?”

“Well, yeah. You asked, didn’t you?”

He slowly got up and picked out a bowl and a spoon for her to eat in. He placed them beside his own food.

She sat down on the chair and stared at the bowl. “Where’s the food?”

He rose an eyebrow, “Right here?” He pointed at the cereal box and milk.

“Oh! Of course.” She reached over his arm and picked up the cereal box. She flipped the box upside down.

“NO NO NO NO.” He swiped the box from her hands right before the box flap opened. “Chloe, you need to open the box,” which he did, “and pour it slowly.” He demonstrated as he filled her bowl with the sugary flakes. “Here, try pouring the milk.” He handed her the milk carton.

With the fakest smile he’s ever seen, she picked up the carton of milk and tried copying his instructions. He carefully guided her hands and stopped the flow by moving the carton back to its original position.

She laughed sheepishly, “Thanks,” and picked up her spoon. She mixed it around a bit, making sure all the flakes got dunked with milk.

“Uh, Chloe.” He raised his finger. “You’re supposed to shovel the cereal onto the spoon and then eat it.”

“I know!” She snapped. “I just want it to be soft.”

“But the crunch is the best part!”

“Ew, crunchy food disgusts me.”

He rolled his eyes. “Just eat, Chloe.” He spooned some cereal into his mouth.

He watched her as she (reluctantly?) scooped some cereal onto her spoon and slowly lift it to her mouth. She did this several times before she got the hang of it.

“Don’t tell me this is the first time you’ve eaten cereal.”

“NO, this is NOT my first time eating cereal, it’s just because… because… you’re _watching_ me.”

“ _Me_ watching _you_ eat cereal is making it harder for you to eat cereal?”

“Exactly. Now stop watching me eat and eat your own cereal.”

She continued to eat her cereal, not facing him. He sighed and shook his head as, he too, continued to eat his frosted flakes.

***

After they finished their breakfast, Nathaniel instructs Chloe to dry and put away the dishes that he’s washing.

“Um, no.” She continued to walk around the kitchen.

“Chloe-”

She spun around, arms crossed. “Absolutely not! The daughter of the mayor does not dry and stack dishes for a mere _commoner_.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!”

He stopped washing for a moment. Then blatantly stated, “Then get out of my house.”

“Ex _cuse_ me?”

“If you’re not going to help me, then why are you still here?”

“Well, I _was_ going to ask you to be my companion on my shopping trip and-”

He put a plate down. “What?”

“I said I wanted you to join me on my shopping today.”

“Why me?”

“Because… uh.” She looked away from his gaze. “Sabrina… couldn’t... go?”

“Was that a statement or a question.”

“A statement.”

“So you want _me_ to go shopping with _you_.”

She nodded. “Yes.”

He turned on the sink. “Then dry and put away the plates and utensils.”

“I already told-”

“Then no.”

The only sound in the room was the fast water rushing through the sink as Nathaniel washed each dish and spoon. It was a while until he heard a loud groan and saw the class bully pick up a plate and start drying it with a towel. Grinning, he covered a spoon with soap and watched Chloe angrily wipe away droplets of water and set it to the side. He wiped his hands on a dry towel and Chloe placed the last plate in the cabinet as his mother walked into the room.

She gasped, causing both of them to turn around. She switched between him and the _mayor’s_ daughter. “Uh, good morning?” She walked timidly beside Nathaniel and whispered, “What is she doing here? And with your _new_ jacket?”

He laughed nervously. “Uh, she’s here because-”

“Because my daddy told me to join him as a companion on a shopping trip for anything he desires.”

He stared at her, clenching his fists.

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” His mother smacked him on the shoulder. “You should go!”

He plastered a smile on his face. “Of course!” He guided Chloe through the kitchen. “I’ll get right to it.”

He leads them to his room. “What do you think you’re doing!?”

She inspected her nails. “Um. Telling your mom that I’m taking you shopping?”

He threw his arms in the air. “You said the exact _opposite_ of that!”

She raised an eyebrow. “I did?”

“You did!”

“Oh well.” She walked to the door. “Dress nicely. I’ll see you outside.” And left him by himself.

Shaking his head, he changed and left his room. He said goodbye to his mother and shut the front door behind him. Chloe stood at the bottom step, typing something on her phone.

“How-”

“Let’s go.” She starts walking down the street. He followed obediently behind.

***

“I thought you said it was _me_ that was supposed to get, and I quote, ‘anything he desires’ end quote.”

She scrolled through her phone. “Yeah. We did get you something.”

“ONE THING!”

She looked up at him. “And?”

He stared at the copious amounts of shopping bags on the floor beside them, one containing the actual item for him.

He sighed. “Chloe, why did you bring me here? Picked me to go with you?”

She looked up. He was slouching, his bangs covering one of his eyes. She stopped texting and put her phone down. The quiet chatter of the mall cafe accompanied the light jazz flowing through the room. It was small, but cozy. The light brown wall paint with some artistic designs really set the mood for everyone. She stared at her caramel latte that he picked for her.

“What? The mayor’s daughter can’t choose who to go shopping with? Or to bring our bags? To spoil a commoner with just the presence of moi?” She smiled sheepishly.

“You’re getting off subject, Chloe. Why?” He leaned forward on his elbows, eyes searching for an answer.

She glanced away. “Because my daddy told me-”

“That’s not why.”

She glared at him. “You dare defy-”

He shook his head. “Chloe.”

She grimaced, like a child being scolded for bad behavior. She glanced back at him.

Were his eyes always that color green? His eyes looked lost as she sighed.

“Okay, look. Last night… was fun. I learned more from you than I did from school this year. And it was fun hearing you talk about your art and…” She wrung her fingers. “What I’m trying to say is…” she smiled, “Thank you.”

His brows knitted. “For what?”

“I just told you!”

“For teaching you about paintings?”

“That and for um not being annoyed with me. Not like anybody is annoyed with me. I mean--” she shook her head, “thanks for staying with me.”

He gazed at her as she rambled on about the night before. By the end, she was flushed pink and covering her face.

His mouth curved into a smile. He reached out to take Chloe’s hand. She let him.

“Chloe.” She peeked up at him and stared at their hands. “If you weren’t a jerk to everyone, then we wouldn’t be annoyed of you.”

She scrunched up her face. “Oh, what do you know?” She pulled away quickly. Her expression hardened as she watched other shoppers pass by through the window. There were a lot more now since it’s later in the day.

He sighed. They stayed like this until he silently said, “I had fun last night too.”

She slowly turned to him, then gave a lopsided grin (something he thought she was incapable of doing). “Really?”

He nodded slowly. “Yeah. You weren’t a pain in the ass.” And he winked.

Her whole face lit up as she laughed wholeheartedly. She always had a fake laugh, he could tell this one was real when she snorted.

She sighed and wiped an invisible tear off her face. “Thanks, Nathaniel,” she shrugged, “You’re not so bad after all.”

He walked her back to the hotel after that. Before this, they threw their bags into her chauffeur’s car to be delivered. It was chilly outside, even if the sun was shining down on them.

They stood in the corner of the sidewalk in front of Le Grand Paris.

“Today was fun.”

She gazed up at him. “Really?”

He chuckled. “Yeah.”

“Well,” she flipped her hair, “I’ll see you on Monday, I guess.”

“Yeah,” he rolled his eyes and shook his head, “I guess I will.”

He turned to walk away when she remembered that she was still wearing his jacket.

She spun around. “Wait!”

He stopped and lifted an eyebrow as she ran (lightly, she _was_ wearing heels after all) and took off the jacket.

“Thanks.” She handed it to him. “For everything.”

He stared at his jacket. He remembered saving up for it for months and getting it stitched with his favorite band's logo.

He pushed it back towards her. “Keep it.”

Her expression went blank as the driver pulled up near the entrance.

_Were her eyes always that shade of blue?_

He walked away before she can do or say anything that could likely end him.

 _Good job, Kurtzberg._ He mentally slapped himself and grimaced. _Now you can’t stop thinking about her._

She watched him walk away with his newly bought art supplies in a bag.

_Out of all the guys you could pick, tomato head is what you’re going for?_

She groaned as the chauffeur walked behind her, holding the shopping bags. “Just leave them in my room.” He backed away slowly and briskly sprinted into the hotel.

She stared at her leather jacket.

_That idiot._

She grinned as she left the cold winter wind and walks back into the safety of the hotel.

**Author's Note:**

> I made sure to check everything and went the farthest distance for you, mon amigo. I hope you enjoyed your birthday, again! 
> 
> Thank you for reading! Write about what you thought about this in the comments! 
> 
> Kudos and Comments are gold! <3
> 
> Again, Happy Birthday @findmeinthevoid!


End file.
